Preeti Raghavan, MD directs the Motor Recovery Research Laboratory, whose mission is to develop innovative strategies to restore hand function after stroke and other neuromuscular disorders. She and her multidisciplinary team investigate how brain injury affects motor skills and how sensorimotor integration can be used to enhance motor learning and control. In this interview, Dr. Raghavan provides an in-depth look at her leading research in stroke rehabilitation, employing strategies to engage patients in their care and in utilizing the unaffected arm to promote plasticity and affected arm recovery. 

John-Ross (JR) Rizzo, MD is a physician scientist at Rusk Rehabilitation where he is an Assistant Professor. He leads the newly formed Visuomotor Integration Laboratory where his team focuses on eye-hand coordination as it relates to acquired brain injury. Dr. Rizzo has been recognized as a Top 40 under 40 by Crain’s for his industry-leading innovation and dedication to transforming the lives of those with vision impairment worldwide. In this interview, Dr. Rizzo discusses his cutting-edge brain injury research and how alterations can uncouple eye-hand coordination. His work is a major step in designing better outcomes for those with brain injury and understanding and combatting visual impairment.  

Mara Sproul, MS, is a registered nurse with experience in rehabilitation, pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiology, and nursing administration. As the Concussion Center Program Manager at NYU Langone, she manages, coordinates and implements all aspects of patient care through the multidisciplinary center. Mara discusses how her nurse training has assisted her in caring for patients in an individualized manner and promoting better outcomes.

Prin Amorapanth, MD, is a clinical fellow in brain injury medicine at Rusk Rehabilitation. His fellowship provides him with training in the rehabilitation and management of patients with a wide range of acquired brain injuries in multiple settings. In this interview, Dr. Amorapanth discusses various topics related to the care of brain injury patients, including using transcranial electrical stimulation to improve emotional regulation and attention.

Heidi Fusco, MD, is a Brain Injury Physiatrist at Rusk Rehabilitation at NYU Langone Medical Center. She treats patients with brain injury in the acute, post-acute, subacute, and outpatient setting. Dr. Fusco provides her insights into treating brain injury patients from a variety of angles and how translational medicine is a critical function to provide success.

Brian Im, MD, is an Associate Director of Brain Injury Rehabilitation at Rusk Rehabilitation, treating both inpatients and outpatients with acquired brain injury. He also serves as program director for Rusk’s brain injury medicine fellowship. Dr. Im takes us inside the walls of the oldest public hospital in the country to describe his work in treating patients with brain injury and how knowledge of cultural disparities is a key component to Rusk’s TBI Model Systems approach.

Hilary Bertisch, PhD, is on the clinical staff of Rusk Rehabilitation where she is a Senior Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine. Her research focuses on cognitive, psychological, and functional aspects of individuals with a variety of neurological and neuropsychiatric diagnoses, including traumatic brain injury.  She also sees clinical cases for neuropsychological evaluation and treatment. In this interview, Dr. Bertisch discusses her work with the CDC and TBI Model System work at Rusk, among other key topics.

Dina Pagnotta, MS, is a physical therapist with experience in areas including cardiac, vestibular, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, women's health, and administration. She is the Director of the NYU Langone Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Network and Programming and oversees operations and Development for NYU Langone’s Concussion Center.  Dina provides important details regarding one of the most discussed diagnoses in medicine today.

Angela Stolfi, DPT, is the Director of Physical Therapy, Center Coordination of PT Clinical Education, and Director of PT Residency Programs at Rusk Rehabilitation. A practitioner for over 18 years, she has assumed progressive leadership positions throughout the continuum of care in the physical therapy department. In this interview, Dr. Stolfi discusses some of the most pressing issues in the field today and her work in ensuring a safe workplace.

Kate Parkin, DPT, is the Senior Director of Rehabilitation Therapy Services at Rusk Rehabilitation. She is responsible for directing the clinical and educational programs at Rusk, where she provides leadership, guidance, and administrative support to site directors, clinical directors, and their leadership. In this interview, she describes how therapy services (PT, OT, speech, vocational, psychology, cardiopulmonary) are expanding and evolving care from inpatient to community offerings.

Tamara Bushnik, PhD, oversees the activities, research, and administration of the Research Department at Rusk Rehabilitation. Her research interests lie in the areas of community integration and independent living, approaching this research from a multidisciplinary perspective. In this interview, Dr. Bushnik discusses specific studies relating to cultural disparities, access to care, quality of life, and traumatic brain injury. 

Steven Flanagan, MD, is Professor and Chairman of Rehabilitation Medicine and Medical Director of Rusk Rehabilitation. Listen in to this inaugural episode as Dr. Flanagan provides front-line insights on research and translational medicine and discusses Rusk, one of the oldest and most well-known rehabilitation facilities in the world. Among the many topics Dr. Flanagan reviews, his commentary on healthcare reform, mobilization in critical care, improving outcomes while reducing costs, and international leadership are some that can't be missed.